Office of the Historian

740.00119 Council/9–1845: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)

Washington, September 21, 1945—noon.

8275. Secdel 94. [For the Secretary.] Dept submits following recommendations for your consideration in amplification of your 9637 Sep 18 Delsec 29 containing text of Brit note on establishment of a representative provisional government in Austria. If you approve, Dept would appreciate transmission of these recommendations directly by you to AusPolAd, Vienna.

Dept considers plan for calling of Laender Conference best means of obtaining provisional government consistent with Austrian constitutional and political precedents and representative of all parties and provinces. In order to obtain representative government and prevent abuses, Dept recommends that following objectives form basis of US policy in process of establishment of provisional regime:

1.
That Allied Council approve Cabinet appointments and that Renner be retained as head of Cabinet in view of his personal record.
2.
That principle of single party representation in Cabinet posts be recognized, and the present system of Under Secretaries representing three parties and countersigning all decrees be abolished as inconsistent with Austrian constitutional procedure.
3.
That exact balance of parties in Cabinet be determined by decision of Allied Council on basis of known strength of parties in last free election (1930), modified by any precise information on changes in balance made available by local officials and Allied military authorities in the respective zones.
4.
That all three anti-Nazi parties be represented in Cabinet but that principle be recognized that key posts such as Foreign Affairs, Justice, Interior be held by representatives of demonstrably major parties.
5.
That re-organized Cabinet constituting a provisional Austrian national administration be given immediate administrative authority [Page 603] throughout Austria as a whole consistent with four-power agreement on control machinery.
6.
That national elections be held under Allied supervision at earliest possible date, preferably by Nov 1945.

Please inform Dept if recommendations are transmitted to Vienna.

Acheson